THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024

The Energy Progress Report 2024 reveals that the world is not on track to achieve any of the 2030 targets for SDG 7. While 91% of the global population has electricity access, progress reversed in 2022, leaving 685.2 million people without power, with 83% of the deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clean cooking access stands at 74%, but 2.1 billion people still rely on polluting fuels. Renewable energy's share in total final energy consumption was 18.7% in 2021, and global energy intensity improved by only 0.8% in 2021, far below the 2.6% target. International public financial flows to developing countries rebounded to USD 15.4 billion in 2022 but remain well below the 2016 peak of USD 28.5 billion.

• Global electricity access reached 91% of the population, but progress reversed between 2020 and 2022 as population growth outpaced new connections, resulting in 685.2 million people lacking access in 2022.
• Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the vast majority of the global electricity access deficit, rising from 49.6% in 2010 to 83.3% in 2022, with 571.1 million people lacking access in that region in 2022.
• Decentralized renewable energy is critical for rural access; in 2022, stand-alone off-grid solar solutions served an estimated 490 million people, while mini-grids served approximately 47 million.
• Approximately 74% of the global population had access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in 2022, leaving 2.1 billion people reliant on polluting fuels such as charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, kerosene, and wood.
• Clean cooking access is diverging sharply in Sub-Saharan Africa, where only 7% of rural households have access compared to 40% in urban areas, and the number of people without access is growing due to population growth.
• Renewable energy's share in total final energy consumption (TFEC) was 18.7% in 2021, with modern renewables (excluding traditional biomass) accounting for 12.5%.
• Renewables-based electricity generation is the fastest-growing sector, making up 28.2% of global electricity consumption in 2021, driven largely by wind and solar PV.
• Global renewable energy generating capacity per capita reached 424 watts in 2022, but a significant gap exists between developed countries (1,073 watts per capita) and developing countries (293 watts per capita).
• Global primary energy intensity improved by only 0.8% in 2021, failing to meet the SDG 7.3 target of 2.6% annual improvement; to reach the 2030 goal, the rate must now exceed 3.8% annually.
• International public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy rebounded to USD 15.4 billion in 2022, a 25% increase from 2021, but this remains far below the 2016 peak of USD 28.5 billion.
• Debt instruments remained the dominant form of international public finance for renewables, accounting for two-thirds of flows in 2022, though grants reached an all-time high of USD 3.6 billion.
• Under current policies, it is projected that 660 million people will still lack electricity access in 2030, and 1.8 billion people will still lack access to clean cooking.
• To achieve the COP28 goal of tripling renewable power capacity by 2030, global capacity must reach at least 11,000 GW, but current policies are projected to reach only 7,300 GW by 2028.
• Annual clean energy investments needed to meet SDG 7 targets are estimated between USD 3 trillion (IEA NZE scenario) and USD 4.5 trillion (IRENA 1.5°C scenario).

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2024). THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-06/Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20final%20report.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024. 2024. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-06/Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20final%20report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024 |date=2024 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-06/Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20final%20report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2024energy, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-06/Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20final%20report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }